Once an area has been designated a DCPC, there is a moratorium on most development for up to one year while local officials craft new rules to protect environmental resources such as watersheds.

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BREWSTER — Water is the town's most precious resource, Selectman Ed Lewis said at last night's Cape Cod Commission hearing on the town's first-ever proposed district of critical planning concern.

"We think it's an opportunity to be proactive in an area that needs this control," he said. Protecting the town's groundwater now, rather than remedial cleanup down the road, is the safest and least expensive way to preserve a vital resource, he said.

The Cape Cod Commission panel reviewing the town's application agreed. Following last night's hearing in Brewster Town Hall, the panel voted unanimously to recommend the district of critical planning concern (DCPC) designation to the full Cape Cod Commission. The full commission is expected to vote on whether to accept the designation at its next meeting on May 15. The Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates has the final say on whether a DCPC can be established.

If the proposed Brewster DCPC is approved, the town will have up to a year to craft new regulations to better protect groundwater in the designated areas while a moratorium on large-scale development is enforced.

The proposed DCPC areas would cover two sections of town: one in the southeastern quadrant and the other in the southwestern quadrant. The two areas total 6,538 acres — about a third of the town — and are centered on the town's most sensitive groundwater recharge areas. The southeastern section is linked to the Pleasant Bay watershed.

Sentiment among the 60 or so people at last night's 90-minute hearing was mixed, but most seemed to favor the proposal.

Pleasant Bay Alliance coordinator Carol Ridley passed on her group's strong support for the plan. A recent state report showed nitrogen in the bay needs to be reduced 36 percent, she said. Controlling groundwater pollutants such as septic system effluent could reduce Brewster's contribution to the nitrogen problem, she said.

Tim King, a resident in proposed southwestern DCPC, was skeptical. He asked why the Cape Cod Commission involvement was necessary, if town staff and boards are going to be writing the new regulations anyway.

Selectman Dyanne Cooney said town boards lack professional expertise and having the commission involved "is a huge resource."